Riders will be able to use the service for free, and no identification will be required to ride the shuttle.

Four shuttle buses will make 30-minute round trips from the Hughes Metropolitan Complex to the main campus. The buses will make stops at five campus locations.

Buses will only run on weekdays when classes are in session. No buses will run on weekends, holidays, when the university is closed for inclement weather or during summer classes.

In the coming weeks, shelters will be placed at the Metropolitan Complex and the regular campus stops for passengers to use while waiting. The shuttle buses are expected to stop at each of the pick-up locations every seven to 10 minutes.

Overland Charters and Wichita State will consider adding a stop by Koch Arena for evening athletic events. The possibility of running extra buses for other special occasions, such as commencement, also will be considered.

Each bus has a capacity for 37 passengers with wheelchair ramps on all coaches. The buses have a middle entry for fast loading and unloading and perimeter seating.

In the first year of the three-year contract, Wichita State will pay more than $400,000 for the service.

There are 16 Ohio colleges and universities with similar partnerships with their regional transit authorities, however, UT’s agreement with TARTA is unique in that faculty and staff also benefit with free access to community bus routes.